What To Do When Lost

Chapter 2

Oliver woke with a start to see Felicity shaking his shoulder. "Whe- where am I?"

"You fell asleep in the car, Oliver; we're at your house now." Suddenly, everything came back to him.

"Thea...I should've saved her; she was my responsibility. It- it's my fault." His voice was faltering again and a lump was now forming in his throat.

Felicity gave him a warm heartening smile that suddenly made him feel just a little better. "We are not doing this now, Oliver. Let's get you upstairs. You need to get shut eye for a few hours."

He gingerly got out of the car, not knowing if his legs would be able to carry him all the way to his bed. He was glad to see that Felicity was right beside him, guiding him all the way to his room to make sure he actually got to bed.

"Digg and I will be back in the morning to check on you. Please, Oliver, try...try to rest, you need it."

"Felicity, please," his voice a rough, hoarse whisper. Felicity turned and smiled at him, waiting for him to finish."Can you stay? I don't want someone else I care about to leave right now."

Her expression suddenly shifted. No longer giving him a kind smile, her eyebrows were raised and her eyes widened.

"Oliver...are you sure you want me to? You're under a lot of stress right now, and are really tired. And with everything you've been through the past day. I mean, it's not really a good idea is it? Of course it's not you're in shock, so no you're not thinking straight. If I was in your position, I would have a mental breakdown and babble but that's what I'm doing right now which will end in 3...2...1..."

A smile had crept over him. It seemed like a lifetime ago was the last time he had smiled. But she was able to allow him to forget about the hell he was suffering, and that's why he wanted Felicity to stay.

"Yes, Felicity. I want you to stay; I don't want to be alone here tonight. I can't be alone tonight." His smile had faded and was replaced by kind, sensitive eyes almost begging her to stay.

"Okay, if that's what you need." And for once, Felicity was laconic and didn't have anything to say.

Felicity told Diggle that she was going to stay and take care of Oliver, and that he should go home.

Once she returned, she laid down on the couch. When Oliver saw this, he knew he would be able to get a little sleep knowing she would be safe.

Oliver was back at the mansion. He immediately ran to Thea's room to make sure nothing had happened to her. When he got there, much to his delight, she was laying on her bed reading a magazine.

"Hey Ollie. You alright?" He hoped that maybe everything was a dream and that this was reality. "Ollie... Are you okay? You look like you just returned from the dead...again."

"Speedy, I had the worst nightmare. You-you were dead and I couldn't live without you."

"I'm right here. I will always be right here." Something still seemed off, though. Thea wasn't acting like normal- she looked a little different. Then it hit him.

"Speedy, you're bleeding. Your abdomen! We need to stop it!" Oliver rushed to put pressure on her wound. But no matter how much pressure he put on the wound, the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"Help me! Ollie! Don't let me die here!" She died there in his arms.

Suddenly, his eyes opened and someone was on top of him. He was being attacked. Every muscle in his body clenched and he flipped the intruder over and began to strangle them.

That's when a familiar voice hit him; "Oliver, it's me. It's me, Felicity...you were dreaming. It was just a dream, it's over now, you are alright." He could hear her gasping for breath.

No matter how hard he tried and wanted to believe everything was fine, he couldn't shake the image of his sister bleeding out in his hands. "It's not alright. I couldn't save her...I couldn't." With that he relinquished his grip on Felicity. His heart was pounding and he collapsed on the bed.

"Oliver wake up. Oliver. Wake up." His vision was blurred, but Oliver was able to make out a dim light coming through the windows, meaning it was now morning. "Good, Oliver. Look at me. Do you remember what happened last night?" It was Felicity speaking to him.

All he knew is that his arm was extremely sore and he had the worst headache. "No...what happened?"

It was now Digg talking, "You woke up last night from a nightmare." Digg then pointed to Felicity, "She heard you screaming and called me. When she tried to wake you up you flipped her over and you were strangling her." Oliver looked at Felicity's eyes. He expected her to look angry or confused but her eyes were a soft kind blue. He wanted to apologize, but Digg continued talking. "I came up and you still had Felicity in your grasp and I sedated you."

Both of them stared at him like they were waiting for him to react. But he wasn't surprised to know that he had done it. He hated himself for it. "I wanted you to stay so you wouldn't get hurt." He motioned towards Felicity. "But I hurt you instead. I can't imagine what you think."

"Oliver," her voice was soft and endearing, "none if this is your fault. You can't control the dreams you have and the reactions they cause. The past 24 hours have been a living hell for you, I understand. And after being on the island for 5 years and now this..." Her voice trailed off, but he understood what she was saying. "You didn't hurt me, Oliver, and you never will hurt me." Her hand was now stroking his cheek and wherever her hand touched warmth seemed to seep into his body. A warmth he had never felt before.